Food on Film

Have you noticed all the hype with food lately?  Where to eat, what to cook, who cooks it best, all the cookbooks and morning TV demonstrations, and now picnic and grilling season is in full force.  Here is a list of films about food to check out at your next trip to the library.

Big Night
The story of two brothers whose Italian restaurant is on the brink of bankruptcy. Their only chance for success is to risk everything they own on an extravagant feast for bandleader Louis Prima. But their big night is complicated by a lovers' triangle, a sneaky restaurant rival, and the hilarious perfection of chef Primo.

Julie Julia
Julie Powell wants to be a writer. Trying to find a challenge in her life, she decides to cook her way through Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' in one year, and to blog about it. As Julie begins to find her groove as a cook, and her voice as a writer, the project takes on a life of its own, while providing an interesting biography about Julia Child herself, celebrating the life of one of America's most beloved chefs.


Babette's Feast
With the mysterious arrival of Babette, a refugee from France's civil war, life for two pious sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Before long, Babette has convinced them to try something other than boiled codfish and ale bread-- a gourmet French meal! Her feast scandalizes the elders, except for the visiting General. Just who is this strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure?


No Reservations
Master chef Kate Armstrong revels in the sense of power and control her career affords. When her sister is killed in an automobile accident, her nine-year old niece Zoe comes to live with her. Kate's life is turned completely upside down and she is suddenly forced to split her focus between work and family. Nick Palmer is the fun-loving, sous chef, whom Kate perceives as a serious rival. Even as they clash, Kate is drawn toward Nick, eventually coming to the realization that Nick offers something that she needs both in her restaurant kitchen and her new life with Zoe. Based on the German movie Mostly Martha listed below.


Mostly Martha
Martha is the chef who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from meeting new people. When her sister suddenly dies, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece, completely changing both lives. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, Lina's erratic father shows up demanding that he take her back to Italy with him.


A Moveable Feast
Salutes traditions across the country by bringing six of America's favorite chefs together to represent the diversity of food and culture that make the United States the world's greatest melting pot. Features Chris Kimball (America's Test Kitchens), Ruth Reichl (Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie), Lidia Bastianich (Lidia's Italy), José Andrés (Made in Spain), Rick Bayless (Mexico One Plate at a Time), and Ming Tsai (Simply Ming). Bonus: Q&A with the chefs, recipes, and behind-the-scenes.


Fast Food Nation
When a marketing executive for a huge burger chain finds a nasty secret ingredient in their burger recipe, he goes to the ranches and slaughterhouses of Colorado to investigate and finds that the truth is sometimes difficult to swallow. This film will have you questioning your food choices. Greg Kinnear is fabulous in this film.